Tailored for Service
by TeamHarry95
Summary: Eggsy encounters yet another Secret Service simulation that tests his decision-making skills under stress, but this one is different and decidedly more challenging than the others. Some good old fashioned bromance between Eggsy and Harry. Rated T for mild language, I hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Training to become a Kingsman was no easy journey, but Eggsy and Roxy were almost finished. One last task remained, and it was taking place that evening. Neither of the recruits knew what to expect, other than the fact that it was "The toughest one you'll have to face, likely tougher than anything the real world will toss at you", as Merlin had warned them the previous night.

Eggsy was feeling pretty confident, considering his successes during the water, parachute and train tracks tasks. That day, he relaxed in his dorm room and fell in and out of sleep, while Roxy pored over her notes, manuals and textbooks that were spread across her bed.

Eggsy peeked open one eye from his restful position and laughed at Roxy's state of panic. "Whatchu all worried for? We made it this far, s'nothin to stress out about."

She cocked an eyebrow in response and said, "We'll see if you still feel that way after I've passed the test with flying colours and you're about to fail because of some rudimentary skill you've forgotten to review."

He scoffed and shook his head. "You're overthinkin it, mate. Just let it happen as it may, and we're either in or we ain't. Simple as that." In fact, Eggsy desperately wanted to succeed in the task and become a Kingsman agent, but he tried to not let it show. Perhaps treating it like any useless secondary school test would make it seem less…scary.

She rolled her eyes and went back to her books. "Your confidence will bite you in the arse one day, you know." At that moment, before Eggsy had time to retort, Merlin walked into the room. Both recruits jumped up and stood at attention.

"At ease. Well, it's nice to know _one _of you is taking this final task seriously…" He surveyed Roxy's bed full of reading material and gave Eggsy a disapproving look.

Eggsy looked sheepishly back at him.

"However, regardless of whether you studied," he looked at Roxy, "or not," then at Eggsy, "this simulation is not something you could have fully prepared for. It is unlike anything you two have faced in training before and will test your resilience, control and strength in the face of stress. It could easily be the death of your potential Kingsman career. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." they replied together.

"Well then, I won't make you wait any longer – your mentors are waiting in the two rooms at the end of the hall to debrief you and then you will be sent into the simulation. Roxy, to the door on the left, Eggsy, the right. Best of luck to the both of you. I truly hope you succeed." Merlin nodded at the both of them with a hint of a smile. "Dismissed."

Eggsy walked down the hall, rather uneasily, but was intrigued to find out what this task would entail. When Roxy turned to enter the other room, he winked at her and said, "See you on the other side, then."

She laughed nervously. "We'll see. …Good luck, Eggsy."

"You too."

Eggsy entered the room and saw Harry looking out the window. He turned around at the sound of the door. "Ever heard of knocking?"

"Only when I'm casing a place to rob." The two men grinned, remembering the same conversation they had had earlier on in training, and then Harry walked towards the recruit. "Nice suit."

"Thanks, some fancy tailor-man picked it out for me from this boring old tailor shop."

Harry chuckled once. "Well, I must say the man has excellent taste. Now, let's get down to business. Before I send you into that room, I want to say that you've done very well here, Eggsy. You've proven yourself to be quite the gentleman and a true Kingsman, regardless of the results of this simulation. I must admit, when I first met you I thought it would be next to impossible, but you've completely transformed. And know that I'm…proud of you."

Eggsy wasn't really one to share emotions, so he decided to make a joke of it and smirked. "Aw, sweet little moment we're having here, innit?"

Harry looked him in straight in the eye, ignoring the joking comment and added, "Your dad would've been proud, too. You remind me more and more of him every day, and I wish he was here to see this. To see how far you've come." At this, Eggsy dropped his smirk and swallowed.

Harry maintained his gaze with the younger man, studying him. Eggsy cleared his throat in the uncomfortable silence and, looking down, said, "…Thanks Harry. Means a lot."

The older man finally dropped his gaze as well and continued, pacing in front of Eggsy. "Secondly, I want you to have an idea of what you're going to face in there, so you don't let your self-assurance get the best of you. It's not like the other tasks. It's…more emotional. It will push buttons you didn't even know you possessed and try to break you. I can't say much else than that, but please, _please, _use your best judgement and don't let your emotions get in the way of completing the task. Will you do that for me?"

Eggsy nodded. "I think I can handle whatever it is, after having a go at that train tracks simulation, yeah?"

"This one is considerably more difficult than that, believe me, but it is an essential component of Kingsman training. We all had to go through it and we were all equally traumatized." On that ominous note, Harry checked his watch and said, "That's all the time we have. I'll be waiting right here when you come out, alright?"

"You're talking like I'm gonna need counselling afterwards or somethin…" Eggsy laughed, trying to lighten the mood, but was concerned when Harry did not do the same. If anything, the agent looked more serious.

"You can do this, Eggsy. I know you can. Now go prove it to yourself." Harry ushered the younger man out of the room and closed the door without say anything else.

Eggsy stared at the door for a moment and suddenly regretted the nap he had taken earlier when he could have been studying.

He was snapped out of his thoughts, however, when the intimidating steel doors leading to the simulation room clanged opened and he was forced to walk into the utter darkness beyond them.

A/N - Thanks for reading my first Kingsmas fic and I appreciate any constructive feedback or thoughts! Also, sorry to leave it on a cliffhanger but I'm cruel that way hehe. I'll try to post the next chapter in the next few days :)


	2. Chapter 2

"_You can do this, Eggsy. I know you can. Now go prove it to yourself." Harry ushered the younger man out of the room and closed the door without say anything else._

_Eggsy stared at the door for a moment and suddenly regretted the nap he had taken earlier when he could have been studying._

_He was snapped out of his thoughts, however, when the intimidating steel doors leading to the simulation room clanged opened and he was forced to walk into the utter darkness beyond them. _

The doors slammed behind Eggsy, engulfing him in total darkness, and he instinctually reached out his arms and adjusted his stance in case of an attack. He listened for any signs of movement in the blackness as he cautiously stepped forward. He also tried not to think about his irrational fear of the dark that he'd had since he was a toddler and instead, focus on the task at hand. Whatever it was.

Suddenly, a light appeared on his left, illuminating a glass of clear liquid on a table. A robotic voice then surrounded him and echoed throughout the room. "Please drink. Then continue on to the next stage of the simulation."

Eggsy wasn't sure how he felt about consuming this mysterious liquid but he seemed to have no choice. After placing the empty cup down, his head immediately began to ache.

"Aghhh." He pushed the heels of his hands into his temples, but that didn't ease the pain. In fact, it became progressively worse, and Eggsy realized that this must be part of the simulation – a distraction technique or something to interfere with his ability to complete the task. He shook his head and continued on determinedly, squinting because of the blinding pain that had now traveled behind his eyes.

As he clenched his teeth to keep from crying out, the darkness before him suddenly disappeared and a spotlight shone on a woman not far from him. He narrowed his eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden brightness, and focused on her; her head was down so it was hard to tell what she looked like, but Eggsy eventually recognized her and did not believe his eyes.

"Mum?!" He blinked in confusion, forgetting about the task for a moment.

She raised her head at the sound of his voice and Eggsy saw that it wasn't her. Not really. He sighed with relief, thinking himself silly for believing for a moment that they'd bring his actual Mum to the training facilities for this task – this was only a simulation, after all. "Look at you. I hardly recognize you, it's been so long."

Eggsy was astonished at how realistic she looked and sounded. _If anyone can afford the technology to create realistic holograms, it's Kingsman,_ he thought absently.

"I know Mum, and I'm sorry." It felt strange to converse with this replica of his mother but nothing else was happening at the moment, so he just went with it. "My training ends today, though, and then I can come back home and help out again. Like it used to be." The guilt he felt for having to leave his family for so long was real, even though the conversation was not.

"It will _never _be like it used to be. You're leaving me, just like your father did…I always knew you were a selfish bastard, just like him!" She grew angry and stepped towards Eggsy, who was taken aback. "I hate you. I fuckin _hate_ you!"

Eggsy was speechless. He knew this wasn't his mother and that she would never say something like this, but he had envisioned a similar situation so many times that this interaction felt disturbingly real. There was no reason for him to worry that she would one day make such statements and accusations, but it was one of his deepest fears and now it was happening right in front of him (never mind that she was only a hologram).

"Don't bother comin home," she spat. "Dean's the only man I need in my life now."

Mrs. Unwin's boyfriend, well, his simulated self, emerged from the darkness behind her and said, "You lil' prick, couldn't even take care of your own Mum after your Dad went and got himself killed. You'll probably die the same way, and I hope it happens soon. Bloody useless. Lucky she has me…and I'll take real good care of her." He winked grotesquely and started moving his hands up and down her body. Eggsy thought he was going to be sick to his stomach.

"And your sister's been put in foster care, so no more of my children can grow up in my home and ruin my life!" His mother looked maniacal and Eggsy put his hands up in the air, slowly backing away.

"This isn't real." He wasn't sure if he was convincing his simulated Mum of this or himself. "You're simulated, and so is that piece of shite beside you. …Interesting how I even despise him as a hologram…" he tacked on.

As this conversation unfolded, Eggsy hadn't noticed that the pain behind his eyes had disappeared. Then a man behind him spoke, in a very distinguishable voice.

"It's done, Eggsy. You've failed. Your career here is finished." He whipped around and saw Harry standing there.

"What?!" Eggsy cried. "It can't have done! I only just started the simulation…she was getting angry and yelling those horrible things, I've done nothin wrong-"

Harry cut the younger man off. "Yes you did. In fact, everything you did here was wrong. You will never amount to the man your father was, you'll never make up for all the time I wasted on you and you will never, I repeat, _never, _become a Kingsman agent." He stared coldly at his trainee.

Eggsy was absolutely baffled. He didn't know if the simulation was still going – it must be, because no matter how poorly he ended up doing, Harry would never speak to him this way. But why was a simulated Harry standing there, saying such hurtful things to him? And how did the simulations know to say the very things Eggsy feared their real-life selves would say one day? He couldn't piece together how this task was testing his potential as a Kingsman.

He tried a different technique than telling Harry he wasn't real, like he had with his Mum. "You're wrong. You know you're wrong. You said it yourself, you saw a young man with potential looking in that tailor shop mirror and look where I am now: the final task of Kingsman training, and you bet your arse I'm gonna pass it-"

"You're pathetic if you believe that!" Harry scoffed. "We only took you in as a favour we promised to your Mother a long time ago, after your Father was killed overseas. We didn't see potential in you. What we saw was a weak, lazy, and broken teenage boy. You're worthless, Eggsy."

Eggsy just stood there with his mouth slightly agape, forcing himself to remember that these words weren't Harry's and they never would be. It was difficult though, what with the hologram's damned realism. Eggsy swallowed an unwelcome lump in his throat and then another voice sounded from the opposite corner. He turned around and who was standing there but Roxy, his fellow recruit, in the centre of the third spotlight in the room. "Poor, stupid little Eggsy."

Eggsy tried to steady his breathing as he prepared for another round of abuse. He was already feeling beaten down, regardless of the made up words and fake people; it was emotionally exhausting.

"I've already completed my simulation and passed. I'm a Kingsman agent, because I worked hard enough to earn it. Unlike some people." She gave him a vindictive once-over and continued. "What else should I have expected from a low-class lowlife who didn't even go Oxford or Cambridge?"

This time, Eggsy's strategy was to not give in to what the hologram was saying. Maybe once she'd run her course of insults, she would shut up on her own and he'd finally move on in the simulation. As much as he didn't want to admit it, these holograms were toying with his emotions and seriously working him up – the exact things Harry made him promise wouldn't interfere with the completion of the task – and he wanted to get out of there before losing his cool.

"I also hope you understand that our friendship wasn't real. I only hung around you so I would look better in comparison, and it clearly worked. Boys are so easily manipulated by a pretty girl." She giggled in a very un-Roxy way and Eggsy bit his tongue to avoid shouting profanities at the hologram of his friend.

"I can't believe you actually thought you had a chance at becoming the next Lancelot. I guess it can be attributed to the fact that they went way easier on you than the rest of us because they pitied you-"

"ENOUGH!" He burst out, breathing heavily. Eggsy could handle anger and disappointment, but _pity..._pity was another story."Does this task just consist of people I care about sayin cruel things to me? How is this testing my skills?!" He said this to no one in particular, but hoped for a response.

The holograms stared at him during the outburst but said nothing. That was a good sign, he thought. Then things took an interesting turn: there appeared a loaded pistol on the floor in front of him, and a group of people Eggsy had never seen before, cowering in the corner. He didn't know why they looked so frightened; he was neither holding the gun nor pointing it at them.

Then Eggsy realized the source of their distress…and decided he would do just about anything to be back as the victim of his simulated friends' and family's bullying right about now.

It was time to put all those months of training and studying to use, but Eggsy had absolutely no idea how he could possibly resolve this situation successfully.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed the second chapter and I apologize (but not really muahaha) for leaving you with another cliffhanger! What do you think Eggsy is dealing with here? And what role will the holograms play in the rest of the task? Let me know what you think and/or anything I can do better in this fic! I'm going away this weekend but the next chapter will be up within the week, thanks so much for all the support so far :)


	3. Chapter 3

_There appeared a loaded pistol on the floor in front of him, and a group of people Eggsy had never seen before, cowering in the corner. He didn't know why they looked so frightened; he was neither holding the gun nor pointing it at them._

_Then Eggsy realized the source of their distress…and decided he would do just about anything to be back as the victim of his simulated friends' and family's bullying right about now. _

_It was time to put all those months of training and studying to use, but Eggsy had absolutely no idea how he could possibly resolve this situation successfully._

Eggsy stepped back to breathe and calm himself.

He had asked for a change of pace in the simulation and got it. The holograms of Mrs. Unwin, Harry and Roxy were each pointing a gun at the group of twelve civilians; the hologram of Mrs. Unwin's boyfriend seemed to have disappeared. The three looked as nasty and ready-to-kill as they had when yelling at Eggsy moments ago, only now they were equipped with weapons. And regardless of how the saying goes, weapons do more physical damage than words.

The robotic voice from earlier sounded again, saying, "Your mission is to save the lives of the innocent civilians in this room at whatever cost necessary. Your gun has three bullets. Their guns have one bullet each and will automatically fire once the clock reaches zero. The countdown begins…now." And with that, a dreadful, ominous ticking filled the room and Eggsy saw an illuminated clock on the wall, counting down from 5:00 in big red numbers.

"It's only a simulation, it's only a simulation…" he muttered to himself, but it didn't make him feel any less conflicted. He was desperate to pass this task and become a Kingsman agent, and in order to do that he needed to save the "innocent civilians in this room." All the lives in the room were innocent, technically, but right now the three people he knew and cared about were guilty of aiming loaded guns at a group of defenseless people. And to make matters worse, Eggsy realized that these people were young, very young…only kids. As if the situation wasn't difficult enough already.

He tentatively picked up the loaded pistol from the ground and held it in his sweaty palm, consciously keeping it pointed at the ground for now.

"So…" he started, looking at the gun-holders. "…What are you guys doin?" He didn't want to jump to any conclusions. He still had – he glanced at the clock - 4 minutes and 23 seconds to talk things out before it came to a bullet storm. He thought it might be helpful to hear what they had to say.

Roxy was the first one to speak, turning to look at Eggsy but still aiming at the group. "They told us your mission was to save these idiots' lives," she cocked her head toward the kids, "so we're doing whatever we can to get in the way of that. Heaven forbid you actually succeed in this task and become a Kingsman agent…only those who have earned success deserve it. You, on the other hand, deserve to fail, you pathetic little-"

"Okay." Eggsy cut her off sharply. He had heard enough of her criticisms for one day. "What about you two, then?"

Harry sneered. "I'm doing this for the same reasons she gave, plus the fact that I never want to work with you again so if it's the last thing I do, I want to see you fail this task."

Eggsy clenched his teeth. Then his mother spoke up. "To be honest, I wish I could point this gun at you."

His breath hitched and once again, he reminded himself that this was not his mother and she would never say such things. Still, this task was becoming too much for Eggsy to handle. Amidst the emotion and anger in the room, however, he noticed that his simulated Mum said she _wished _she could point her gun at him, so perhaps she physically couldn't. Maybe none of them could.

"Point it, then. Point it at me if you want me dead so badly. All of you. Go ahead." He opened his arms, inviting them to direct the barrels of their guns at him. None of the holograms did, and they all looked disgruntled at the fact. _Well shit, _he thought, _that complicates things_. These innocent kids had a permanent target on them that would automatically be fired at once the clock struck zero, unless Eggsy could figure something out in the little time he had.

"Alright, so you three want to see me fail and you can only kill me if I move in front of you…" Eggsy said aloud, trying to organize his thoughts and come up with a plan. The clock read 3:09 now. He quickly turned to the group of young people. "And what do all of you want? Why are they trying to kill you?"

He wasn't sure if this would get him anywhere as the kids were likely innocent and totally confused but he gave it a shot. One young boy sobbed, "W-we just want to live!" and another boy held him reassuringly. An older girl in the middle then said, "We haven't done anything wrong, we're just doing what they told us."

"Who is 'they'?" Eggsy urged. She looked as if she revealed too much information and refused to say anything more. Eggsy was suspicious of this and took a step closer to them, making sure to avoid the holograms' line of fire. He asked one more time, "What d'you mean? Who sent you, and what did they tell you to do?" All of them looked away from Eggsy and said nothing. He was going to let it go as he was running out of time, but he then noticed they were sitting unnaturally; they all had one arm positioned behind them as if they were holding something behind their backs. He inched closer, fearful of what he might find. He stopped in his tracks when he was finally able to see what they were hiding.

Grenades. Each and every one of these kids was hiding an unpinned grenade behind his or her back. Twelve grenades exploding at once meant a lot of dead people, so Eggsy knew that this meant one thing for sure: none of these kids could get shot.

Without thinking his next steps entirely through, he backed away from the group and aimed his gun at the three holograms. His finger was ready to pull the trigger as he looked at his Mum, Harry and Roxy with a myriad of mixed emotions. He didn't want it to end like this, but they would all die if he didn't take action, and he didn't see any alternative options.

Eggsy stood there blankly for a few moments and then snapped out of it when he remembered the timer and anxiously looked at it: only two minutes remained.

Each simulated person become aware that Eggsy was aiming his pistol at them and they began to speak, no, _plead,_ simultaneously.

"Eggsy, my boy, what are you doing? Where am I? I can't put this gun down, help me!" His Mum sobbed, looking around in confusion.

"What's going on Eggsy, what are we all doing here? Wait…why are you pointing that at me? Eggsy, put it down, please!" Roxy cried out.

"What on earth – Eggsy, what's happening? Why am I holding a gun…why are _you _holding a gun? What the bloody hell is going on?" Harry demanded, his voice laden with fear.

All three of them had completely switched from their original, cruel selves and this made an impossible situation for Eggsy even harder. How was he supposed to just shoot these people who were apparently unaware of what they were doing and unable to put their weapons down?

They continued with their reversed personalities, as Eggsy stared at them in disbelief.

What they said next was no longer in confusion but rather clarity, as if they had accepted the situation and now portrayed their normal, real-life selves. Roxy said, "You're a shoo-in for Lancelot, Eggsy, you've done incredibly well here and completely deserve it. I'm so proud that my best friend is going to be a Kingsman agent! Just don't forget about me when you're wearing your fancy suits and saving the world." The hologram smiled warmly at Eggsy, starkly contrasting everything she had said and done up until that point. He didn't know what to think.

In the meantime, Harry chimed in. "You're one of the finest and most reliable agents to walk through the Kingsman doors, do you know that? Another one was your father, and you have the potential to be just as good of an agent as he was, which is truly saying something. I can't tell you how proud I am of you, Eggsy. If it's the last thing I do, I want to see you succeed here." He gave a nod to the baffled teenager, who had never felt so conflicted in his life.

Eggsy would give anything to avoid hearing what his mother was about to say. "My wonderful, caring son." She started and he felt a lump form in his throat. "You're such a good boy, always lookin out for your sister and me. So selfless, just like your father was. You remind me more and more of him with every day you grow older, y'know…You mean the world to me and it would kill me if anything happened to you. I love you so much, Eggsy. Never forget that."

Eggsy had never despised hearing such kind words in his whole life. His plan had been to kill the three of them and have done with it, their previous cruelness making it slightly easier for him to do so, but now they decided to gush with kindness? It was absolutely tearing Eggsy apart.

The clock struck 0:10 and the automated voice began counting down with it.

"Ten, nine…"

Eggsy tried with all his power to pull the trigger and end the simulation by saving the innocent civilians, but things had changed so suddenly. Were they still innocent, what with 12 hidden grenades ready to blow up? And despite their current humanity, did the holograms still deserve to die? Even so, Eggsy didn't think he could do it.

"Six, five…"

So he didn't have it in him. He couldn't shoot the "bad guys" even though it would mean saving the rest of them from an explosive death. He was weak and undeserving of the title of Kingsman agent, like the holograms had first told him. This simulation held more truth to it that Eggsy had first thought. He did see one final option and, in his hastiness, decided it was better than nothing. At the very least, it meant that he neither had to shoot his loved ones nor face a massive explosion.

"Three, two…"

Eggsy jumped in front of the group of kids so that the three loaded guns were pointed directly at him; the holograms' new faces were strange and kind, but their arms had not lowered.

"One."

_BANG! _The three shots echoed simultaneously throughout the room, and Eggsy fell to the ground with overwhelming feelings of relief, exhaustion and pain. _I thought the guns were supposed to be simulated too, _Eggsy thought as he felt bursts of pain in his shoulder, abdomen and thigh.

Then the lights came on, all the holograms disappeared and a blurry figure walked towards Eggsy. In that moment, he didn't care about anything else because, at last, it was over…the simulation was over.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N - I'm SO sorry for the delay in updating: work and exams just piled up these past weeks and I wanted to wait until I felt like this chapter was good enough to post. It's sort of a tying-up-the-loose-ends chapter with lots of bromance between Harry and Eggsy which is always nice :D Please let me know what you think and my last chapter will be posted sooner than this one, I swear! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

_Eggsy jumped in front of the group of kids so that the three loaded guns were pointed directly at him; the holograms' new faces were strange and kind, but their arms had not lowered._

"_One."_

_BANG! The three shots echoed simultaneously throughout the room, and Eggsy fell to the ground with overwhelming feelings of relief, exhaustion and pain. I thought the guns were supposed to be simulated too, Eggsy thought as he felt bursts of pain in his shoulder, abdomen and thigh._

_Then the lights came on, all the holograms disappeared and a blurry figure walked towards Eggsy. In that moment, he didn't care about anything else because, at last, it was over…the simulation was over. _

"Eggsy? Eggsy, can your hear me?"

Eggsy blinked a few times and squinted at the invasive brightness. Someone was crouched down, looking at him. "You're alright, it's over now. It's me, Merlin."

As much as he wanted to believe Merlin, Eggsy was wary of everything and everyone after having to endure that simulation. "…How do I know you're not just a simulation as well?" Eggsy whispered.

He wasn't about to let his guard down after the emotional roller coaster he had just been put through; if the simulation was in fact still going, he fully intended to complete it. The pain of the previous events couldn't be all for nothing.

"The simulation is done, Eggsy, I swear to you. And you're going to be just fine – the bullets were rubber, so you'll be nicely bruised up but perfectly healthy." He smiled and then continued, more heavily. "That was…quite the ending to the simulation. We've never seen that method of resolution before."

Eggsy sighed with relief. The task was truly over and he was a combination of happy and emotional and overwhelmed and exhausted; all he wanted to know now was whether it was a pass or fail.

He propped himself up into a sitting position, grimacing from the bruises the holograms left on him. "Merlin, how did I do? Did I…" his voice cracked, revealing his fatigue as well as his desperation to hear the answer.

Merlin furrowed his brow and paused before saying, "Well to be honest, I couldn't tell you at the moment. It's…up for review." he looked over his shoulder and leaned towards Eggsy, whispering, "I'm not really supposed to be telling you this, but the board is concerned about your willingness to throw yourself in front of those bullets. They think you-"

"Come along, Mr. Unwin." A suited man that Eggsy had never seen before interrupted them. "You will remain in the debrief room with Mr. Hart while awaiting your results."

Eggsy nodded to Merlin in thanks for the information, as limited as it was, and both men stood back up.

It felt surreal to be interacting with actual human beings again and Eggsy tried to take it all in; he closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath and followed the stranger out the simulation doors that had been so intimidating only shortly before.

The man opened the debrief room door for Eggsy who saw a tense, pacing Harry within. He entered and the door was closed behind him.

"Eggsy," Harry stopped pacing and sounded very relieved. "Are you alright?" He surveyed the younger man, searching for signs of something. What, specifically, Eggsy was not sure.

It was both comforting and unsettling to see the real Harry in front of him, after hearing such cruelties from the simulated version, but Eggsy replied as neutrally as his body allowed.

"A little bruised up from the bullets, but I'm alright…That was a bloody nightmare, though." Much to his dismay, his voice and legs were both shaking so he quickly sat down on the nearest chair. Harry pulled another one over and placed it opposite him, sitting down and leaning forward. "They told me the extent of your success is up for review…tell me what happened."

Sensing the younger man's reluctance, Harry prompted, "For starters, how did the simulation end?"

Eggsy was glad he didn't ask how the simulation had started. "I jumped in front of the kids when I learned the holograms couldn't point their guns at me, and got three bruises for my efforts."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "I don't think any recruits have done that before…I guess with no precedent, they'd have no choice but to review whether or not you passed."

"I wasn't thinkin straight, which is the whole point of the test I guess, but I saw the grenades and knew none of those kids could get shot or we'd all be dead…and it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be to shoot those simulated people, especially once they got all nice like," he looked away from Harry and shrugged. "So I jumped."

Harry seemed to be both impressed and concerned at the same time. "Well, in my books that's a pass – you saw the grenades, unlike most candidates, learned the holograms couldn't aim at you, and cohesively managed a resolution even with the emotional warfare declared earlier by the holograms. …Do you want to talk about that part?"

The probing question made Eggsy shift in his seat uncomfortably, especially because Harry himself was one of the holograms. "Not really," he said quietly. Harry didn't look surprised.

"I understand. No one should have to go through what you just did, Eggsy. You must be feeling many things right now, as every Kingsman did after his or her own simulation."

Eggsy nodded once, his eyes glazing over as he replayed the task in his mind: "_I fuckin' hate you!"_…_"low-class lowlife"_…_"You're worthless, Eggsy"_…each memory stung as much as the real thing had. And then when he had pointed his gun at his Mum, Harry and Roxy, prepared to shoot…

"I guess you'll have some questions…?" Harry encouraged, eager to bring the recruit back from wherever he was at the moment.

Pulled out of his memories, Eggsy realized he did have some things that needed explaining. "Yeah, what was with the liquid and the massive headache at the beginning? It came and went so suddenly but it was absolutely brutal...like nothing I've ever felt before."

"Ah," Harry said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs. "That is the exact reason I think the simulation is too intense and emotionally charged for anyone, let alone young recruits under critical assessment. The liquid is a sort of serum that accesses the part of your brain associated with fear – the amygdala - and uses those fears against you in the form of simulations, in order to toy with your emotions and throw you off. It's a top-secret, controversial Kingsman product, but I'm afraid the task judges find it useful in determining recruit potential."

As Harry spoke, Eggsy's confusion about the holograms' brutality, and how they knew to say the very things he always feared they would one day, began to clear up.

"That explains things. So the simulation is like, personalized, to each person's fears?"

"Yes, but it always ends the same way – with a choice between saving your loved ones or a group of kids. The ruthless verbal abuse beforehand is what makes the task so cruel. I am still haunted by the things that were said to me in that simulation room all those years ago." Harry seemed to reflect on his own task for a moment before coming back to the present.

"Is it any wonder…" Eggsy took a shaky breath. "It was just so realistic, especially since those damn simulations knew to say what I hoped they'd never say. I hated it."

Harry gave an understanding nod.

Before thinking about it, Eggsy blurted out, "You were one of them."

There was a prominent silence in the room; Harry looked simultaneously surprised and apologetic while Eggsy seemed to wish he hadn't mentioned it. Finally, in a soft voice, Harry spoke: "And what did the simulated me say to you?"

Eggsy swallowed. He didn't particularly want to go over the fine details, but he was the one who brought it up. He stood up and began to pace, avoiding eye contact with Harry. "Somethin along the lines of 'you'll never amount to the man your father was', 'my time was wasted on you', talking about how worthless I was..." he cleared his throat. "That kinda thing."

Harry sighed quietly and seemed to deflate. His reply came slowly, as if to emphasize each word. "I'm sorry, Eggsy. I'm sorry you had to hear such horrible things come out of my mouth, but you must remember…that is not what I think now and it is not what I will ever think. The serum uses your innermost fears against you to hinder your performance in the task – everything said by the holograms was a lie, a tactic, which you overcame in order to complete the simulation."

Eggsy stopped pacing and still looked away from Harry, trying to conceal his pain. "I know, but…"

"But their words felt real and you can't help but feel hurt?" Harry finished. Eggsy nodded and bit his lip, his eyes tearing up against his will.

Harry stood up suddenly and strode towards his recruit, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Look at me Eggsy. Please." The younger man brushed a few unwanted tears away and fixed his gaze on Harry. "You are a strong, kind, intelligent, and worthy young man, and you must not internalize what was said to you in that room. Your biggest fear is disappointing people you care about, as the simulation showed, and that in itself is something to be proud of. You could never disappoint me, Eggsy. And that's coming from the real me, which is all the matters."

Without further words, Harry pulled him into a hug. It was slightly unexpected, by both men, but welcomed nonetheless. Eggsy clung to his mentor's suit jacket and let a few more tears fall. He couldn't find words to express his gratitude and relief but it felt right, in that moment, to just let it all go.

They stayed there for a moment, silently acknowledging each other's need to do so, and then Harry added, "Unless you're a double agent sent by Valentine to spy on us. That would be rather disappointing." Eggsy gave a tearful laugh and broke apart from his grinning mentor.

Before they could say anything else to each other, the same suited man from earlier opened the door to the room. "They're ready for you, Mr. Unwin. The judges have made a decision."

Eggsy glanced at Harry, who gave reassuring nod, and anxiously followed the man out the door to find out whether or not he was properly tailored for service as a Kingsman agent.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"_They're ready for you, Mr. Unwin. The judges have made a decision."_

_Eggsy glanced at Harry, who gave reassuring nod, and anxiously followed the man out the door to find out whether or not he was properly tailored for service as a Kingsman agent. _

The man led Eggsy and Harry into a room filled with a panel of official looking people. Eggsy sat down and waited for someone to say something official-like.

"Mr. Unwin," an intense looking woman said from the centre of the panel. "The extent of your success in this final task required much consideration, as it was the first resolution of its kind in Kingsman history. We, the judges, have thoroughly reviewed your simulation and discussed our concerns."

Eggsy absent-mindedly wondered what they meant by "reviewed" – had they recorded the simulation and played it over until they came to a unanimous decision? He was uncomfortable at the prospect.

"Firstly, we are disturbed that you did not take the shot when you had the opportunity. As soon as your holograms became kind, you seemed to let emotions blind your judgment. The majority of other recruits were able to shoot their simulated loved ones, or else find a way to jam the guns and/or re-plug the grenades."

Harry looked like he was about to interrupt, but the woman continued purposefully. "Emotions simply cannot interfere with the completion of your mission, Mr. Unwin." Eggsy lowered his head, thinking that the very thing Harry had warned him about was the cause of his failure. "Then there's the concerning factor of your willingness to throw yourself in front of those bullets. Many of the judges before you agree that the choice was hasty and reckless. Someone who is so inclined to sacrifice himself without consideration of all other options does not belong in the field."

He exhaled. That was it. Amidst his overwhelming disappointment and anger at himself, he was relieved to finally know the result of his task and that he would never have to face something similar in his dull, non-secret-agent life that would start today.

"However," she went on and Eggsy's heart began to race. "we believe you did consider all the options. You showed exemplary attention to detail, noticing both the grenades and the holograms' inability to redirect their weapons, which led you to understand the necessity of protecting the children. Many candidates miss one or both details. And, seeing as your task was to save the innocent lives in the room, the judges have decided that you were ultimately and unprecedentedly successful. …Welcome to the Kingsman Secret Service, Mr. Unwin."

An overwhelming sense of joy, relief and honour came over him and this time, Eggsy had to remind himself to breathe. He had never admitted to himself just how much he wanted this, because his life up until now had taught him to lower his expectations. But now, at last, his hard work and dedication were being recognized and he would get to live the life he dreamed of ever since the first time he had walked through those Kingsman doors.

He barely noticed the panel clapping and Harry gripping his shoulder, looking overjoyed. "Congratulations, Eggsy. You deserve this, more than anyone."

Eggsy relaxed his face, realizing just how widely he had been smiling. He shook Harry's hand. "Couldn't've done any of it without you, Harry. Thank you, for everything."

Harry smiled warmly. "I look ever so forward to working alongside you. And they've just told me there's someone outside who is as eager to hear your results as you were…"

Eggsy all but ran out the doors and saw Roxy standing around the corner, biting her lip and looking expectant. "Well?" She said.

Eggsy paused and put on the gravest face he could manage in all the excitement. Roxy gasped. "No…"

He dragged it out for another moment, nodding solemnly, and then his eagerness to let it spill overpowered him. "Just playin', I passed!"

She exhaled and gave him a look. "You arse, c'mere and give the other newest Kingsman agent a hug."

He wrapped his arms around her small frame and swung her around, despite her protests. "Well done, Roxy! I always knew you had it in you. It was me that was up in the air." They laughed and pulled back from each other.

"What a final task, eh? Not exactly what I was expecting."

"No, me neither. Brutal." Roxy said, then hesitated. "…Was I one of your holograms?"

Eggsy raised an eyebrow. "You were, actually. I'm guessing I was one of yours too?"

She nodded, looking away.

"Hey," he said gently. "Let's agree to forget everything the other person's hologram said in that simulation room and only pay attention to what the real-life person says, yeah? That's all that matters. Nothing said in there was true."

Roxy looked up at him, nodded in agreement and then said, "So, just checking…you don't think I'm an uptight bitch?"

Eggsy actually laughed out loud. "Farthest thing from it. And you don't consider me a pathetic lowlife?"

"I never!" She exclaimed. They were both happy to be able to make light of such an emotional situation, now that it was over, and hugged each other once more.

They were interrupted by Harry, who smiled at Roxy and said, "Congratulations to you, Roxy. You've both done an outstanding job. Eggsy, may I have a word in private?"

He motioned for his recruit to walk with him down the hall, and Roxy gave them a final smile before leaving in the opposite direction.

"How are you feeling, now that it's all over?" Harry asked.

Eggsy laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "I…couldn't even put into words, I don't think. Relieved, mainly, but it's more than that. I get to do that job I never knew I always wanted to do, and it feels bloody brilliant."

Harry looked very proud indeed as they continued to walk. "I'm so very happy for you, Eggsy. You've earned this. Now, I'll let you get back to celebrating in a moment but I wanted to give you something first. It's something that will hopefully remind you of your principles and foundations as you face real-life versions of what you just experienced in that room."

Curious as to what it may be, Eggsy raised his eyebrows. "Well don't keep me all in suspense, what is it?"

Harry reached into his suit jacket pocket and when he pulled his hand back out, it was holding the most beautiful and sophisticated semi-automatic pistol that Eggsy had ever seen. Harry handed it to the wide-eyed agent who looked it over in awe.

"Harry, I-"

"It was your father's. He, like you, executed missions with the highest regard for civilian life while still protecting his comrades. It's the very thing that caused his death. If he could help it, he never fired this gun and would want you to have it to be reminded of what truly matters in the field."

Eggsy ran his fingers over the barrel, on which were engraved the letter N, and his heart swelled with pride as well as sorrow. He swallowed and said with conviction, "I'm going to do everything in my power to honour his memory and make you proud, Harry."

He held out his hand and Harry shook it firmly, his glinting eyes revealing the pride and joy he felt for the new Kingsman agent. "There's no shortage of pride from me, Eggsy. And, on the subject, you've just been assigned your first mission as a Kingsman Secret Service Agent."

Eggsy waited with baited breath to hear about his very first, real-life mission.

"It's a trip with me to the tailor shop. You'll be needing many more, and much better, suits now that you're one of us." He grinned and took a laughing Eggsy by the shoulder, leading him physically to the tailor shop and figuratively to the ever thrilling, clandestine and dangerous world of the Kingsmen Secret Service.

* * *

And this fic has come to an end! Thanks so much to those who stuck with it all the way through or even just for a bit... readers are the very reason I love to write. If you're reading this years after I've posted the final chapter, I still love reviews (better late than never) so feel free to leave them! Until the next fic, my friends, I bid you adieu. xoxo JP


End file.
